Hepatitis C is a common disease caused by a virus and can be devastating because it actually leads to liver failure. Until now, it has been very difficult to treat. But there is new information about a class of medicine that looks very promising. “Hepatologists are trained and experienced in treating and managing individuals with liver disease,” explains hepatologist Roshan Shrestha, M.D. “Hepatitis C is a fairly common illness in the general population. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about 4 million people in the United States are infected with the disease.”

While the illness may be common, symptoms may not show for years. “Many individuals who have the infection may not have acute symptoms. For many years, we consider this a ‘silent disease,”’ he says. “Until recently, there were no good medications to treat it, and as a result, the individual with chronic hepatitis C ultimately ended up having cirrhosis, or liver failure, and required liver transplantation,” says Dr. Shrestha. A new study published in The New England Journal of Medicine looks at a new class of drugs called protease inhibitors. “These drugs are designed to prevent the growth of the virus in the body. Ultimately, as a result, you could potentially eradicate the disease,” he says.

This new treatment for hepatitis C is analogous to the treatment that has been developed for HIV patients. “We are dealing with a virus, so just like with HIV, we started with one or two drugs,” Dr. Shrestha notes. “Now we have multiple antiretroviral drugs that are making a significant impact. That is exactly what is now happening with treatment options for Hepatitis C.”

Dr. Shrestha is optimistic that these new studies may lead to a cure for some individuals. “The past hepatitis C treatments approved by the FDA were interferon and ribavirin. The cure rate with those medications was only about 50-55%,” he says. “Now, with the addition of protease inhibitors, the cure rate has gone up to about 70-75%. “There are significant advantages to adding this new class of drug, and these medications will help hundreds of thousands of patients.”

While hepatitis C is a serious illness that affects millions of people in the United States, as Dr. Shrestha says, this new research offers significant hope for a cure.

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